NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Odyssey Sims won the Athletes Unlimited championship Sunday after finishing second in each of the last two seasons of the four-week event.
“I’m just happy,” Sims said with the winner’s medal around her neck along with a “GOAT” necklace. “Like, I finally did it. This means more to me than anything else right now.”
Sims finished with 6,764 points under a scoring system that factors in team wins and individual performances, well ahead of second-place Aneesah Morrow, who had 5,344 points in her first season with AU Pro Basketball. Rebekah Gardner was third with 5,269 points followed by Tina Charles, the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds and field goals, with 4,875 points.
Sims, a guard who split last season between the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever, didn’t miss a game in this league’s first four seasons. Sims went from finishing sixth in the first season to third in 2023, and she was edged out by Maddy Siegrist last year.
Sims said her experience from the start of the league could be considered cheating a bit. Athletes Unlimited features 41 players rotating through four teams while playing 24 games of 5-on-5 basketball. This was the league’s second season in Nashville.
Teams change weekly, with the top four players serving as captains and drafting rosters for hands-on management and coaching experience.
“You have to get the hang of it,” Sims said of a format that can move a player not only between teams but into new roles from week to week. “The biggest thing is just being able to adjust to every situation. I’ve gotten the hang of it because this is year five for me.”
Natasha Mack finished fifth with 4,777 points. Mack also was the defensive player of the year after leading the league in blocks and rebounds per game, and the rest of the defensive team included Gardner, Kiah Stokes, Morrow and Jaylyn Sherrod.
Guard Kaitlyn Chen was newcomer of the year; she finished sixth with 4,593 points.
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